Minnesota House Republicans invited anti-gay preacher Bradlee Dean of You Can Run But You Cannot Hide to give the morning prayer. The prayer was so offensive to many legislators that House leadership brought in the chaplain to redo the prayer.

Dean has made many controversial statements as pastor of You Can Run, including advocating the incarceration of gays and lesbians, that the LGBT community is trying to usher in Sharia law in Minnesota, that gay men molest an average of 117 children “before they get caught,” and that Muslim nations that execute gays are more moral than American Christians. His prayer on Friday touched off a firestorm at the Capitol as the LGBT community was rallying outside the House chambers against a proposed anti-gay marriage amendment.

Dean said during his prayer, “I know this is a nondenominational chamber,” he said listing off a litany of Christian denominations and leaving off any mention of Judaism.

Then he took a dig at President Obama, insinuating that he is not a Christian. “The head of the denomination is Jesus as every president up until 2008 has acknowledged, in Jesus name.”

Rep. Terry Morrow, DFL-St. Peter, rose to speak out against the prayer. At first he was at a loss for words.

“I want to express a deep level of concern about what occurred in this chamber this morning,” he said.

He said the fact that the House restarted the prayer was an indication that something went wrong. “I take that as an acknowledgment that there is legitimate cause for deep concern among the members and the staff and among the people of Minnesota.”

Today hope was crushed by the words of a single speaker,” he said. “Mr. Speaker, I do trust and hope that we understand the gravity and the severity of the prayer that has been given to the people within this chamber and out.”

“I’m shaking right now because I’m mad,” he concluded. “This cannot happen again.”

Already this year, in the Minnesota Senate, Republicans invited a pastor who gave a sectarian prayer that caused concern among that chamber’s non-Christian members.

This is why there is no room for prayer in a political or public arena. Which prayer? whose prayer? what exact style? screw that. Pray at home if you must. alone. quietly. And quit the damned grandstanding.

Yeah, when I first read this story on Mother Jones the other day I narrowly avoided gatling-facepalming myself into concussion: the (at best) constitutionally dubious opening prayer, inviting an homophobic firebrand to give said prayer, the "pro-Shariah gays" thing (particularly since the moron is aware that some Muslim countries kill gays),... What's wrong with Minnesota? Did someone dump a truckfull of stupid pills in the drinking water supply?

I dunno....Minnesota is usually a pretty sane, progressive state but I think the majority (who are intelligent & sane) just caught the apathy bug on Election Day & these Teabagger mutants got elected. Look, I don't care how screwy ALL politicians are, VOTE DAMMIT. At least a "lesser-evil" is better than nothing at all! Not voting only makes it worse.

As for Badly Demon, I think someone in the House is fundy material & invited this guy.

It's almost like "Stuart Colbert & The White House Dinner"....only in reverse.

Un-fucking-believable. Fuck you, Bradlee (how feminine a spelling) Dean, and fuck you Minnesotan Republicans for believing in his bile. Will the far right ever go away in American politics? I want it to happen while I'm still young, dammit!

Dean has made many controversial statements as pastor of You Can Run, including advocating the incarceration of gays and lesbians...Yep, prisons aren't full enough, let's make criminals out of people because I think they're ICKY! TOTALLY makes sense.

...that the LGBT community is trying to usher in Sharia law in Minnesota...Because Sharia Law is SO big on homosexuality...

...that gay men molest an average of 117 children “before they get caught...”Hmmm...I'm a touch behind. Let me check my notes.
*check*
Hmmm...I've only molested...ZERO children. Huh. Fancy that.

...and that Muslim nations that execute gays are more moral than American Christians.Hunh. You mean the ones that do so under SHARIA LAW?

“I’m shaking right now because I’m mad,” he concluded. “This cannot happen again.” Good to know there's some sanity in that room.

Who can say the most ridiculous bullshit in the shortest possible time while invoking the names "jesus" and "god" as many times as possible while spewing hateful nonsense about the black man in the white house.

Awesome
Gays want Sharia law. On an unrelated note, Muslim nations who execute homosexuals (under Sharia law) are better than the United States

42 of 43 (97.7%) presidents before 2008 were Christian (with the Deist Jefferson being the lone exception). Since 2008, 100% of presidents have been Christian (between Obama and the last three weeks of Bush). Thus, if we use the completely arbitrary year of 2008 as the dividing line between two equally arbitrary eras of religiousness in presidents, the Era of Obama is actually the most Christian era that the presidency has ever seen.

"Dean has made many controversial statements as pastor of You Can Run, including advocating the incarceration of gays and lesbians, that the LGBT community is trying to usher in Sharia law in Minnesota, that gay men molest an average of 117 children “before they get caught,” and that Muslim nations that execute gays are more moral than American Christians. His prayer on Friday touched off a firestorm at the Capitol as the LGBT community was rallying outside the House chambers against a proposed anti-gay marriage amendment.

Dean said during his prayer, “I know this is a nondenominational chamber,” he said listing off a litany of Christian denominations and leaving off any mention of Judaism.

Then he took a dig at President Obama, insinuating that he is not a Christian. “The head of the denomination is Jesus as every president up until 2008 has acknowledged, in Jesus name.”

Rep. Terry Morrow, DFL-St. Peter, rose to speak out against the prayer. At first he was at a loss for words.

“I want to express a deep level of concern about what occurred in this chamber this morning,” he said.

He said the fact that the House restarted the prayer was an indication that something went wrong. “I take that as an acknowledgment that there is legitimate cause for deep concern among the members and the staff and among the people of Minnesota.”

Today hope was crushed by the words of a single speaker,” he said. “Mr. Speaker, I do trust and hope that we understand the gravity and the severity of the prayer that has been given to the people within this chamber and out.”

“I’m shaking right now because I’m mad,” he concluded. “This cannot happen again.”

Already this year, in the Minnesota Senate, Republicans invited a pastor who gave a sectarian prayer that caused concern among that chamber’s non-Christian members."

Even if Obama hadn't ordered bin Lardarse's elimination (which boosted his popularity rating ten points), you Religious Right types are all but giving Obama his second term on a gold platter.

Everything you say, do and think ensures your own political cause is doomed to FAIL in 2012. No Newt Gingrich or Sarah Failin* required.

Another loop added to the perpetual P.R. traincrash that is the self-annihilation crazy train that is the Repubicans, Religious Right, Neocunts, Teabaggers et al. Just keep committing political seppuku, wingnuts. We Left-wing Atheists don't even have to lift a finger.

Dance, our puppets, dance. >:D

*- Which is why I'm demanding that the Repubicans nominate Failin as their presidential candidate in 2012. And when she's true to her name for the second time - FAILin - she'll be the final wedge between the moderate Republicans and the Religious Right GOP types, that it'll create such a schism, that the Democrats will rule for ever and ever RAmen. Would said moderates vote with the Religious Right in the midterms? Thus GOPers would be self-exiled into the political wilderness, with as much chance of gaining power again as does Ralph Nader - and his own chances are summed up in his surname: NADA.